catafalque.

A raised platform supporting a coffin or body during funeral ceremonies or lying in state.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• draped catafalque
• coffin on a catafalque
• erect a catafalque

On the page

The coffin rested on a catafalque beneath the great window.

Carpenters assembled the catafalque while the household slept.

Around the empty catafalque, the candles burned as if a body were still present.

Usage notes

Primary category: gothic. Usually ceremonial and more elaborate than a simple bier; it is the support, not the coffin. Plural catafalques.